Building America One Community At a Time®

At Rosen Hotels & Resorts, the community is one of our highest priorities. It is our commitment to dedicate substantial resources of time, money, and people to the ongoing improvement of our hometown. Over the years, Rosen Hotels has led a number of initiatives to enhance the quality of life of our immediate neighbors, our city, and our industry.

Corporate Giving

Rosen Hotels & Resorts supports organizations that impact our associates and enhance the quality of life in the Central Florida area. Our financial and volunteer resources are focused on the areas of education, wellness, animal welfare, and cultural diversity.

All charitable requests, whether financial or in-kind, must be submitted through our website by completing the online Community Giving Form.

Tangelo Park Pilot Program

Located in South Orange County just blocks off the International Drive tourist strip is Tangelo Park, a predominantly African-American, working class community. Mr. Rosen chose to pilot a program in this community that would provide child care for preschool children, post-secondary education scholarships for young students, and lifestyle classes for parents.

The Tangelo Park Pilot Program benefits any child living in the Tangelo community. Tuition assistance can be applied to a Florida public college or vocational school. Most importantly, the program is not based on grade point average; it benefits all children from the community who stay in school and graduate high school. Mr. Rosen has also assisted in the incorporation of the Tangelo Park YMCA that provides children with access to out-of-school activities.

The Rosen Foundation Scholarship

The Rosen Foundation Scholarship Endowment has been created to fund the Tangelo Park Scholarship Program, the UCF Hospitality School Scholarship Program, and Rosen Hotels & Resorts’ Dependent Scholarship Program.

Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida

With Orlando fast becoming the most visited tourist location in the world, Harris Rosen believed it would only be fitting for the city to have the best hospitality program available in the country. He donated $10 million to establish the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida which was built right next to Rosen Shingle Creek hotel. The gift is the largest ever pledged to or received by the UCF Foundation. Under current Florida law, gifts of this size qualify for dollar-for-dollar state matching, which translates into $20 million for a facility and faculty every bit as world class as the Orlando hospitality industry itself.

YMCA Aquatic Center

In addition to the Tangelo Park programs, in 1992 Mr. Rosen fought to keep the YMCA Aquatic Center on International Drive open to the public. Facing tough financial times, the Center was closed, depriving youth of a wholesome place to pursue their dreams and eliminating an important resource for area residents.

Reversing this situation would prove to be one of Mr. Rosen’s biggest challenges, one that he met successfully. The center reopened its doors to the best youth group of divers in America, synchronized swimmers, masters swimmers, high school swimmers, and senior citizens seeking therapeutic water treatment.

Haiti Relief-Rebuild-Sustain Program

Harris Rosen has a passion for helping our brothers and sisters in Haiti. The Harris Rosen Foundation has been dedicated to helping Haitians living in Haiti attain a level of self-sufficiency for over a decade. It assists in the areas of education and health with donations to hospitals and schools in Haiti. Our Haiti Task Force has taken a number of trips to Haiti to deliver medical and school supplies collected in the Central Florida area through supply drives and donations from local businesses.

Mr. Harris Rosen was made aware of the situation in the country of Haiti through meetings with Central Florida Haitians as well as in discussions with some of his associates who are from the country of Haiti. He decided to form this task force to analyze the situation in Haiti, come up with a plan, and ensure that anything that is delivered to Haiti gets to the people who most need our help.

The Water for Haiti Gala, held on September 10, 2005, was a bold new initiative taken on by The Harris Rosen Foundation and the Task Force to assist Haitians in their search for clean drinking water. Here in America we take clean drinking water for granted, however, in Haiti much of the water is so contaminated that just one glass may cause serious illness or even death. The funds raised at this gala event were used to purchase close to 250 water filtration systems that are delivered to hospitals and schools in rural areas of Haiti.

Just weeks after the earthquake in 2010, the Foundation delivered 20,000 pounds of supplies to the Port-au-Prince and Beauchamp areas. Our own people were on the ground in Haiti, along with fixed-wing aircrafts, to facilitate delivery of these urgently needed medical supplies, wherever they were needed.

Phase Two of this project focuses on rebuilding and sustaining, including identifying ways to design and construct sturdier buildings during Haiti’s rebuilding phase. We will build compact, eco-friendly, earthquake-and-hurricane-resistant houses, called “Little Haiti Houses.” To stay abreast of what your generous donation to the Harris Rosen Foundation is doing in Haiti, we invite you to click here.

Partners in Education

Rosen Hotels & Resorts is a Partner in Education to Tangelo Park Elementary School and Oak Ridge High School, both in the Orange County Public School System.

Interested in the Orlando Community?

If you’re interested in assistance getting involved in the Orlando community, please fill out the following form.